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January is Mental Health month here at the University, and today we’re looking at five myths about mental health and mental illness. Mental illnesses affect everyone in some ways, and we all likely know someone who as experienced a mental illness at some point. Yet there are many stigmas and discriminatory attitudes around mental illness that make it harder for people to get help. Here are five of the myths about mental illnesses, and the true facts about them.

Mental illnesses aren’t real illnesses

Mental illnesses create distress, don’t go away on their own, and are real health problems with effective treatments. When someone breaks their arm, we don’t expect them to just ‘get over it’. Nor would we blame them if they needed a cast, sling, or other help in their daily life while they recovered, so why would we do it with mental illnesses (CMHA, 2016)?

Mental illnesses are just an excuse for poor behaviour

It’s true that some people who experience mental illnesses may also experience changes in their behaviour. We need to remember that the illness, not the person, is behind these behaviours (CMHA, 2016).

People with mental illnesses are violent and dangerous

Some people try to predict violence so they know what to avoid, but the causes of violence are often extremely complicated. Research has shown that mental illnesses are not a good predictor of violence. People who experience a mental illness are no more violent than people without a mental illness. In fact, people who experience mental illnesses are much more likely to be victims of violence than to be violent (CMHA, 2016).

Bad parenting causes mental illnesses

There is no one cause of mental illness. They are complicated conditions that are caused by a combination of genetics, environment, and life experiences. In fact, family members and loved ones have a big role in support and recovery (CMHA, 2016).

People don’t recover from mental illnesses

People can, and often do, recover from mental illnesses. There are many different kinds of treatments, services, and supports that can help. People who experience mental illnesses can and do lead productive, engaged lives. Even when people experience mental illnesses that last for a long time, they can adapt and manage their symptoms so they can get back to their goals (CMHA, 2016).

Workplace conflict is inevitable, as employees with different personalities, work styles, and opinions are bound to butt heads. Learning how to handle conflict efficiently is the key to preventing it from affecting workplace productivity in the long run. Here are five steps to conflict resolution in the workplace.

Identify the source of the conflict

The more information you have about the cause of a conflict, the more efficiently you can help to resolve it. You need to give both parties a chance to share their side of the story. Not only will it give you a chance to better understand the situation, it will also demonstrate your impartiality.

Look beyond the incident

Often, the situation itself doesn’t cause the conflict, but the perspective on the situation. This can cause anger to fester and ultimately lead to a shouting match or other visible evidence of a conflict. As a facilitating force, you can help the parties involved to look beyond the triggering incidence to see the real cause.

Request Solution

After getting each party’s viewpoint on the conflict, and looking beyond the incidence, the next step is to each identify how the situation can be changed. You want to get the disputants to stop fighting and start cooperating, and that means steering the discussion away from finger pointing and toward ways of resolving the conflict.

Identify solutions both disputants can support

You are listening for the most acceptable course of action. Point out the merits of various ideas, not only from each other’s perspective, but in terms of the benefits to the organization.

Agreement

Do your best to get each person to agree to one of the alternatives identified in step 4. It may be sufficient to meet with the individuals and have an informal discussion, while some situations need something in writing where actions and time frames are specified.

Reference:

American Management Association. (2014). The Five Steps to Conflict Resolution.

Vacation is a great time, and we’ve already covered the health benefits of taking a little time off, but it can be hard to eat healthy when you’re away from home. If you’re staying at a resort, then it may be hard to get nutritious foods when all there is is a buffet. But there are ways to eat healthy when on vacation, a couple of which we’ll explore below.

At the Resort

All-inclusive resorts are great, but the one thing they often lack is nutritious foods. If you’re traveling to a different country, look up the types of foods that are traditionally served. Look for foods that are baked, grilled, or steamed rather than fried or deep fried. If they have a buffet, try to fill your plate with mostly vegetables, with small servings of meat and starches like pasta or rice. If your room has a mini fridge, pick up some healthy foods that you could use for quick, nutritious meals. Finally, go easy on the drinks, as the calories in alcoholic beverages can add up quickly. For every drink of alcohol, have one non-alcoholic (Eat Right Ontario, 2016).

On the Road

When you’re traveling somewhere by car, you can pack healthy lunches and snacks. Keep a snack bag or cooler handy with fresh fruit, vegetables, nut and seeds, sandwiches, and granola bars. Not only would you be eating healthy, you will save time and money. If you like to stop along the way and try the local food, find out what restaurants you’ll pass along your trip. Check out their menus before hand and try to choose the one that has the healthiest options (Eat Right Ontario, 2016).

At the Cottage

If you’re firing up the grill this summer, consider cooking salmon, chicken breasts, or pork kabobs. Fruit and veggies like red peppers, zucchini, eggplant, peaches and pineapples taste great grilled. Summer is also the time to load up on fresh, seasonal produce, like berries, peaches, plums, and corn. Finally, on a hot day by the lake, make your own popsicles with 100% fruit juice or try yoghurt instead of ice cream (Eat Right Ontario, 2016).

Bottom Line

Going on vacation is a great time to enjoy a relaxing time with friends and family. Staying on track with healthy eating is easy when you plan ahead and choose wisely.

Reference

Eat Right Ontario. (2016). Healthy eating while on vacation. Retrieved from https://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Articles/Holidays/Celebrations/Healthy-eating-while-on-vacation.aspx

Taking a vacation not only can be fun, but it also can help bring a variety of health benefits. The unfortunate thing is that the average employee only takes half of his or her eligible vacation time. And when we do go on vacation, we’re in constant contact, and we continue to do work. Doing this means that you don’t benefit from the upsides of downtime, which we’ll explore below.

Vacation and Heart Disease

There have been multiple studies on the effect of working life on cardiovascular health, one of them being the landmark Farmingham Heart Study, the largest and longest-running cardiovascular study. Both men and women who vacationed only once every several years were much more likely than those who vacationed at least once a year to develop coronary heart disease or have a heart attack (Health Net, 2016).

Vacation and Depression

A study found that those who vacationed at least once every two years were less likely to suffer from depression and had higher positive emotional levels. The benefits of vacationing also extend to lower blood pressure and less obesity (Health Net, 2016).

Vacation and Stress

A study conducted by the American Psychological Association found that vacations reduce stress by removing people form the activities and environments that tend to be sources of stress. It’s been shown that taking vacations helped to alleviate job stress (Health Net, 2016).

Vacation and Productivity

A study found that, for each additional 10 hours of vacation employees took, their year-end performance ratings improved 8% and frequent vacationers also were significantly less likely to leave the organization. Additionally, it’s been shown that high-level professionals who were required to take time off were significantly more productive overall than those who spent more time working (Health Net, 2016).

Workplace relationships are a very important component of job satisfaction. Healthy relationships can improve workplace health and productivity, whereas poor relationships can have the opposite effects. The are ways of building strong and positive workplace relationships, some of which we’ll examine below.

Develop Your People Skills

Good relationships start with good people skills, which include active listening. People respond to those who truly listen to what they have to say. Focus on listening more than you talk, and you’ll quickly become known as someone who can be trusted

Schedule Time to Build Relationships

It’s hard to build relationships if no one makes an effort. Devote a portion of your day toward relationship building, even if it’s just 20 minutes. For instance, stop by someone’s office during lunch, or ask a co-worker out for a cup of coffee. These little interactions help build the foundation for healthy relationships, especially if they’re face-to-face

Appreciate Others and Be Positive

Show your appreciation whenever someone helps you, from bosses to office custodians. This positivity is contagious and can help strengthen your relationships with your colleagues

Avoid Gossip

Office politics or gossip are relationship killers in the workplace. If you’re experiencing a problem with someone in your office, go to him or her directly about the problem instead of talking about them behind their backs. Behaving in indirect ways can exacerbate the situations and can cause mistrust and animosity among coworkers

Reference

Mind Tools. (2016). Building Good Work Relationships. Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/good-relationships.htm